Why idioms matter in TOEFL Listening
Most TOEFL candidates train Reading vocabulary heavily and assume that carries over to Listening. It mostly does, but idioms break the pattern. A high-vocabulary candidate who hears "I'm just going to bite the bullet and pull an all-nighter" can decode every word and still miss what the student means, because biting bullets and pulling nights are not literal events. Listening passages, especially conversations, lean on idioms more than any other TOEFL section. If you have not built a small inventory of campus idioms, this is where Listening drops a band.
Below are 50 idioms and 40 phrasal verbs that recur in TOEFL Listening. They are not exhaustive — ETS varies test forms — but they cover the patterns you will hear most. Each entry shows the literal hook, the idiomatic meaning, and a one-line campus context that matches a typical Listening passage.
15 campus-conversation idioms
Most likely in the dialogues between students or between a student and a professor.
hit the books
Study hard, usually under deadline pressure.
Heard in: Two students discussing midterms. "I have to hit the books this weekend — chemistry is killing me."
pull an all-nighter
Stay up all night studying or working.
Heard in: Student to roommate. "I pulled an all-nighter for my essay and I'm running on coffee."
cram for an exam
Study intensively just before a test.
Heard in: "I crammed all night and still only got a B-plus."
drop the ball
Make a careless mistake, fail to deliver.
Heard in: Professor about a missed deadline. "I really dropped the ball on returning these last week."
on the same page
In agreement about something.
Heard in: Group project. "Let's meet Tuesday so we're all on the same page about the proposal."
a piece of cake
Very easy.
Heard in: "The first problem set was a piece of cake. Now it's not."
in a nutshell
Briefly summarised.
Heard in: Professor wrapping up. "In a nutshell, the experiment refuted the null hypothesis."
drive someone up the wall
Annoy intensely.
Heard in: "My lab partner cancels every other session — it's driving me up the wall."
cost an arm and a leg
Be very expensive.
Heard in: Conversation about textbooks. "The economics textbook costs an arm and a leg this term."
be on the fence
Be undecided.
Heard in: "I'm still on the fence about declaring a chemistry major."
get the ball rolling
Start something, get momentum.
Heard in: "Let's get the ball rolling on the conference paper by drafting an abstract."
break the ice
Start a conversation, ease tension.
Heard in: "The TA asked us about our weekends to break the ice."
in the same boat
In the same difficult situation.
Heard in: "Don't worry, I'm in the same boat with my thesis."
go the extra mile
Make extra effort.
Heard in: "If you want a recommendation letter, you have to go the extra mile in class."
play it by ear
Decide as you go, without a plan.
Heard in: "I haven't picked my topic yet — I'll play it by ear after the first lecture."
15 study and academic idioms
Common in office-hours conversations and study-group exchanges.
a wild goose chase
A pointless or fruitless search.
Heard in: "The professor sent me on a wild goose chase looking for an out-of-print article."
go back to the drawing board
Start over because the first approach failed.
Heard in: "The committee rejected my proposal, so I'm back at the drawing board."
put two and two together
Reach a conclusion from available evidence.
Heard in: "Once I read the methods section, I put two and two together about the bias in the sample."
cut corners
Do a job hastily, skipping steps.
Heard in: "If you cut corners on the lit review, the rest of the thesis falls apart."
food for thought
Something to think about further.
Heard in: Professor closing a lecture. "That's a controversial finding, and food for thought as you write your essays."
read between the lines
Infer meaning that is not stated directly.
Heard in: "If you read between the lines of the policy memo, the government is preparing for a recession."
the tip of the iceberg
A small visible part of a much larger problem.
Heard in: "Climate change isn't just sea level rise — that's the tip of the iceberg."
jump to conclusions
Decide too quickly without enough evidence.
Heard in: Professor critiquing a paper. "You're jumping to conclusions in section three; you need stronger data first."
a stone's throw away
Very close in distance.
Heard in: "The library is a stone's throw away from the dorms."
cover all the bases
Address every aspect thoroughly.
Heard in: "Make sure your essay covers all the bases before you submit it."
in the long run
Over an extended period.
Heard in: "In the long run, the chemistry sequence pays off — even if it's painful now."
make ends meet
Have enough income to cover expenses.
Heard in: Conversation about scholarships. "Without the grant, I couldn't make ends meet on the dorm rent."
spread oneself too thin
Take on too many things at once.
Heard in: Adviser. "You're spreading yourself too thin — drop one of your clubs."
come to terms with
Accept something difficult.
Heard in: "I had to come to terms with the fact that calculus isn't for me."
water under the bridge
A past disagreement now forgiven.
Heard in: "Our argument last term is water under the bridge now."
10 advice and decision idioms
Frequent in office-hours and adviser conversations.
a no-brainer
An obvious decision.
Heard in: "Taking the elective with Professor Lin is a no-brainer."
bite the bullet
Force yourself to do something unpleasant.
Heard in: "I'm going to bite the bullet and ask for an extension."
throw in the towel
Give up.
Heard in: "Don't throw in the towel on the major just because of one bad grade."
keep an open mind
Stay willing to consider new ideas.
Heard in: "Keep an open mind about the methodology before you write the critique."
play devil's advocate
Argue an opposing position to test an idea.
Heard in: "Let me play devil's advocate — what if the sample size is the problem, not the design?"
cross that bridge when we come to it
Worry about a problem when it actually arrives.
Heard in: "Funding for year three? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
take with a grain of salt
Treat as uncertain or possibly exaggerated.
Heard in: "Take the textbook's claims about productivity with a grain of salt."
go out on a limb
Take a risk by saying or doing something bold.
Heard in: "I'll go out on a limb and predict that the policy passes by spring."
the bottom line
The most important point.
Heard in: Adviser. "The bottom line is, the program needs another semester of preparation."
cut to the chase
Get to the main point quickly.
Heard in: "Let me cut to the chase — can I get an extension or not?"
10 feelings and attitude idioms
Useful for inference questions about a speaker's tone.
under the weather
Mildly unwell.
Heard in: "I'm a bit under the weather, so I'll skip the lab today."
over the moon
Extremely happy.
Heard in: "She was over the moon when she got the research grant."
feel blue
Feel sad or low.
Heard in: "I've been feeling blue since I got the rejection letter."
on top of the world
Feel triumphant.
Heard in: "After the presentation went well, I felt on top of the world."
at the end of one's rope
Out of patience or energy.
Heard in: "I'm at the end of my rope with this thesis advisor."
have cold feet
Become hesitant about a decision.
Heard in: "I had cold feet about studying abroad, but I went anyway."
a chip on one's shoulder
A grudge or defensive attitude.
Heard in: "He has a chip on his shoulder about not getting into the seminar."
in hot water
In trouble.
Heard in: "She's in hot water with the dean over the plagiarism complaint."
on cloud nine
Extremely happy or excited.
Heard in: "After the acceptance email, I was on cloud nine for a week."
lose one's cool
Lose composure or become angry.
Heard in: "The professor lost his cool when no one had read the chapter."
15 phrasal verbs for studying
Verb plus particle combinations that show up in study and assignment contexts.
go over
Review or examine carefully.
Heard in: "Let's go over the problem set before the quiz."
look up
Search for information (in a book, online).
Heard in: "Look up the citation in the journal index."
look into
Investigate.
Heard in: "I'll look into the deadline extension policy and email you."
come across
Find or encounter by chance.
Heard in: "I came across a relevant article in the supplementary readings."
figure out
Work out, understand.
Heard in: "I can't figure out why my regression doesn't converge."
work out
Solve, or develop successfully.
Heard in: "The thesis topic didn't work out, so I'm choosing a new one."
turn in
Submit (an assignment).
Heard in: "Turn in the draft by Friday."
hand in
Submit (an assignment).
Heard in: "Hand in the lab report at the start of next session."
hand out
Distribute.
Heard in: "The TA will hand out the worksheets at the door."
put off
Postpone.
Heard in: "I keep putting off the literature review — it's taking forever."
catch up
Reach the same point as others.
Heard in: "I need to catch up on the missed lectures over the weekend."
fall behind
Get slower or further from expectations.
Heard in: "Don't fall behind in chapter three or the midterm will be brutal."
drop out
Leave a course or program before completing.
Heard in: "Two students dropped out of the seminar after the first week."
sign up
Register or enrol.
Heard in: "Sign up for office hours on the Google form."
go through
Examine in detail, or experience.
Heard in: "Let's go through the syllabus before we start the topic."
15 phrasal verbs for conversation
Common in casual student-to-student dialogue and Take-an-Interview Speaking responses.
run into
Meet by chance.
Heard in: "I ran into Professor Liu at the library — she asked about your thesis."
hang out
Spend time casually.
Heard in: "Want to hang out at the student union later?"
stop by
Visit briefly.
Heard in: "Stop by office hours if you have questions."
drop by
Visit casually.
Heard in: "Drop by the writing centre any afternoon."
show up
Arrive, especially unexpectedly.
Heard in: "Only six students showed up to the optional review session."
end up
Arrive at a final result.
Heard in: "I ended up changing my major after sophomore year."
give up
Quit, stop trying.
Heard in: "Don't give up — the second half of the course is easier."
come up with
Generate (an idea, a plan).
Heard in: "Can you come up with a research question by Friday?"
put up with
Tolerate.
Heard in: "I can't put up with the noise in my dorm any more."
get along with
Have a friendly relationship.
Heard in: "I get along well with my advisor — she gives clear feedback."
make up
Invent; or reconcile after an argument.
Heard in: "I made up the data for the first draft as a placeholder — don't worry, I'll redo it."
turn down
Refuse, reject.
Heard in: "I turned down the scholarship offer because of the location."
take over
Assume control or responsibility.
Heard in: "When the TA was sick, the professor took over the discussion section."
look forward to
Anticipate with pleasure.
Heard in: "I'm looking forward to the spring semester."
break down
Stop working; or analyse into parts.
Heard in: "Let me break down the equation step by step."
10 phrasal verbs in academic lectures
Formal phrasal verbs you will hear in lecture passages.
point out
Draw attention to.
Heard in: Lecture. "As Darwin pointed out, the variation within a species is the driver."
carry out
Perform, conduct (an experiment, a study).
Heard in: "The team carried out the field survey across three river systems."
bring about
Cause to happen.
Heard in: "The Industrial Revolution brought about the modern urban economy."
set out
Begin or describe formally.
Heard in: "Hobbes set out his theory of the social contract in Leviathan."
build on
Extend or develop further.
Heard in: "Modern macroeconomics builds on the Keynesian framework."
come up with
Devise (a theory, a solution).
Heard in: "Newton came up with calculus in roughly the same years as Leibniz."
give rise to
Produce, cause to exist.
Heard in: "The mutation gave rise to a population resistant to the antibiotic."
draw on
Use as a source or resource.
Heard in: "The author draws on twentieth-century cognitive science to explain memory."
account for
Explain; or constitute a proportion.
Heard in: "Genetic factors account for about thirty percent of the variation."
rule out
Exclude as a possibility.
Heard in: "We can rule out methodological error as the source of the discrepancy."
Related TOEFLMock resources
- Free TOEFL Listening practice tests — hear these idioms in actual conversations
- TOEFL Listening tips 2026
- Academic Word List for TOEFL
- TOEFL vocabulary list 2026
FAQ
Do TOEFL Listening passages really use idioms?
Yes, especially in conversations. Lectures use fewer idioms but plenty of phrasal verbs.
What's the difference between an idiom and a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is verb + particle (look up, give up). An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is not predictable from its parts (hit the books).
Memorise list or learn from context?
Both. Lists give you the inventory; context teaches you the register.
Are idioms worth less than vocabulary?
Less per hour for Reading and Writing, but more per hour for Listening band 4 to band 5 progression.